


Ring

by crystalsnowflakes



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Coma, Established Relationship, F/M, Happy Ending, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:21:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27165826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalsnowflakes/pseuds/crystalsnowflakes
Summary: “It’s a promise ring—I got you one so you’d promise to stop being such a fuckin’ idiot.”
Relationships: Yuffie Kisaragi/Reno
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	Ring

**Author's Note:**

  * For [talyag](https://archiveofourown.org/users/talyag/gifts).



> Thank you for being such an awesome reader and being so supportive! Your messages always make my day! I still remember how you once told me you check the Reffie tags for my fics… :) Thank you, thank you, thank you! <3

Reno glanced at his phone for the umpteenth time that morning and couldn’t help himself from pursing his lips, his mouth twisting into a scowl—then as quickly as it happened, he forced himself to school his features back into his customary laziness and disinterest.

For a brief moment, he didn’t think anyone had noticed, but the lift of Rude’s eyebrow behind his dark sunglasses told him otherwise. Reno’s eyes glanced back towards the screen at his desk as he continued to pretend to read the 45-page health and safety protocols update document but he found himself rereading the same sentence over and over again without comprehending a single word. His gaze kept drifting back towards his phone unwittingly and he felt his irritation and annoyance growing.

It was nearing lunch time.

_ Now, where the fuck was— _

Before his mind could finish the thought, Tseng strolled into the office with an unusually serious look on his face, his shoes clicking against the polished floors. There was no quirk of the lips, no glint in his eyes and it reminded Reno of the old days in the old Shinra building years and years ago—the time before Tseng had grown a sense of humour. Without realizing it, he straightened his back as his jaw clenched slightly—the inscrutable look on Tseng’s face never meant anything good. He bit back a snarky comment.

“Reno,” Tseng’s quiet and collected voice rang out, cutting through the tense silence of the room. “Hospital Presidential Suite. Go now. Rude will come relieve you tomorrow.”

Reno felt his heart stop, his face blanching at the words that had escaped Tseng’s lips. The sound of Elena’s pen being dropped and Rude’s chair rolling back told Reno that they had come to the same conclusion at that same moment, because if Rufus Shinra was safely holed up in his office upstairs, then... 

“Tuesti—”

Tseng cut him off with a sharp stare, his dark eyes flickering briefly over to the custodian just outside the doorway.

_ Classified. _

“Fuck,” Reno hissed out to himself as he felt the muscles in his stomach tense. His hand grabbed the phone and slipped it inside his pocket as he stood up—the lack of text messages suddenly made sense. Gun and nightstick in holsters and keys in pocket, he did one final check to ensure that his Shinra badge was in his wallet before glancing backwards towards the First-in-Command’s face. “How bad?” He finally gathered up his courage to ask.

Tseng opened his mouth as if wanting to elaborate before his gaze looked towards the hallway again and his lips curved downwards instead. “Bad.”

“Fuck,” Reno repeated.

He could barely remember the quick drive to the hospital—all he could remember was almost crashing his car against a man who was jaywalking across a busy street and rolling his window down to curse at him. His keycard beeped against the card reader before it sent the lift up to the top floor—his feet tapped anxiously against the elevator floor, each passing second causing his impatience to increase.

There weren’t many people in the world he looked up to and Reeve was one. The idea that he was in a hospital room, most likely on his deathbed didn’t sit well with him—he was one of the few decent men left. One of the few men who would be able to help him repay the planet—help him with his fuck-ups.

The elevator doors opened with a ding and Reno strode towards the Presidential Suite with purpose, his eyes looking fleetingly at the camera positions. The security guard outside the door took one look at his navy suit and the quick flash of his keycard before sitting back down and pressing a button to allow him access.

Reno had always hated hospitals. He hated the smell of the stale hallways, the whiteness of the walls, the brightness of the ceiling lights—he hated the stillness of it all.

Pushing open the doors unflappably, his steps faltered immediately at the sight.

His heart dropped to his stomach and his breath caught in his throat.

Because Reeve Tuesti’s dark eyes were staring straight at him from the side of the bed, a grim expression on his face as his hands held onto a set of thin, pale fingers.

There was something indescribably  _ wrong _ about seeing the stationary figure of Yuffie Kisaragi wrapped in bandages as she laid in a hospital bed—ashen, silent and unmoving. The steady rhythm of the heart monitor and the quiet mechanical sound of the ventilator filled the room as Reno’s eyes took in the scene in front of him.

He felt a sudden knot of worry and panic twist in his gut and swallowing the lump, he cleared his throat before he forced himself to ask the question. “What the  _ fuck  _ happened to the brat?”

Because whatever he had been expecting on the way here, it hadn’t been her.

His fingers itched to thread through her hair, to touch the smoothness of her cheeks and to  _ slap her _ so she would  _ wake the fuck up. _ He had never seen her so still—it had only been just over twelve hours that he had last seen her with her eyes sparking, lips grinning, cheeks flushing as she yanked his face down to hers.

And now he wished it had been Reeve in that bed instead.

“Assassins,” Reeve responded tiredly, his voice raspy from lack of use and sleep. “Civilian found her near her apartment late last night surrounded by six bodies.”

“Damnit,” Reno grunted out as his hand ran through his hair in frustration. The stubborn little shit had insisted on leaving the warmth of his bed despite the fact it was nearly one in the morning because she had to feed the stupid fucking stray cat. Of course she didn’t care that she lived in a sketchy-as-fuck part of town, or that it was dark and there were barely any lights in Edge, or that she was a  _ princess  _ and received periodic assassination attempts. He was suddenly conscious of the unfamiliar feeling of guilt welling up inside him—he should have insisted she stay with him or driven her home.

“Her old man know?”

Reeve rubbed his eyes wearily with the palms of his hand vigorously while nodding, a deep sigh escaping his lips. “Yes. They are preparing in the event she…” he trailed off, his voice cracking slightly with emotions.

_ In the event she doesn’t pull through. _

“Explains the secrecy,” Reno muttered to himself, realizing they were getting their ducks in a row in case of the next heir of Wutai's untimely death. His body sank into the chair across Reeve, his green eyes studying the peaceful expression on her face—if he didn't know any better and if she wasn't fucking intubated, he would have thought she was in deep sleep. Fists clenched at his side because all he wanted to do was reach over and hold onto her hands, he stuck his hands in his pockets instead. "That why I'm here? In case they come and finish the job?"

A nod.

And then he asked the question whose answer he wasn't sure he was ready to accept. "What're the chances of recovery?"

There was a long pause as Reeve's eyes trailed Yuffie's face—it was clear that he had been up the entire night during the surgery process and Reno felt jealousy, guilt and anger suffocating him all at once suddenly.  _ He  _ should have been here last night instead.  _ He  _ should have been the one called.  _ He _ should have been the one waiting outside the operating room instead of waiting for a fucking text message on his phone.

His temper smoldered inside him and he felt his heart pounding irregularly as his chest tightened, making it hard to breathe.

"They don't know," Reeve responded and Reno couldn't stop the dark feeling in the pit of his stomach at the quiet resignation in his voice. "They're extubating her later today and they'll have a better prognosis once they confirm she can breathe on her own. She lost a lot of blood and suffered from a severe concussion."

"You realize you're gonna have to cuff a bodyguard to her once she wakes up, right?" He said, attempting to lighten the mood.

"If only it was that easy." Reeve chuckled. "Believe me, I've tried. Except no one can keep up with Yuffie except maybe Vincent or you. Are you planning for a career change?"

"Depends on the pay, yo," Reno responded casually although inwardly he felt none of that calmness. "And what about her merry little band of terrorist heroes?" He asked with a nod towards Yuffie.

Reeve's expression darkened. "Lord Godo wants to keep it a private affair for now," he muttered, clearly not in agreement with the Emperor of Wutai if the crease between his eyebrows was any indication. "If they ask, I'll let them know I've sent her on a long-term assignment—it won’t hold off their questions forever, but it'll have to do for now You and Rude are on guard duty until further notice."

"Got it, Boss."

"I know she's been secretly seeing someone," Reeve said more to himself as he stood up tiredly from his chair. "I just have to make sure he doesn't go to the bar and spill—"

"I'll deal with it, Tuesti," Reno cut him off.

"You know who—"

"Turk, remember?" He asked as he stood up, his arm motioning for the other man to leave the room. "I'll deal with it. Go home and get some rest. You look like shit."

"Thanks Reno. I—"

Reno held his hands up, stopping whatever words that were about to come out. "Just get the fuck outta here."

Reeve gave a small laugh that didn't quite reach his eyes before he turned around and exited the room.

As soon as he was sure the door had closed shut, he slid into the chair Reeve had been occupying earlier. Pulling out his hand out of his pocket, he laced his fingers through hers and brought it closer to his mouth. 

"You didn't text me this morning, you little shit. And you owe me a fuckton of sex." His fingers tightened around her cold, unresponsive ones and he felt a sense of dread rising within him. "You also promised I could use those handcuffs on you, so don't you fuckin' die on me yet."

By the time Rude came to relieve him of his shift almost twenty hours later, he was ready to drop dead from fatigue. Despite trying to fall asleep on the comfortable chair throughout the night, he kept slipping in and out of slumber. The constant stream of nurses and doctors moving in and out of the room to check on Yuffie’s vitals didn’t help. Eventually, he grew frustrated with trying to sleep and turned on the large television in the room instead. And then he had stared blankly at the screen the next few hours, the lifelessness of her form weighing heavily on his mind.

The smell of a greasy breakfast sandwich and the sound of the door opening a crack brought him back to reality. It was only out of sheer reflex that he caught the paper bag tossed his way.

“Thanks, partner,” Reno said as he tore open the wrapper, his stomach growling, before stuffing the sandwich in his mouth.

“Any improvements?” Rude asked as his head turned towards the bed, placing a warm paper cup of coffee by the bedside table, within reach of Reno.

“Extubation was successful,” he responded between bites. Rude remained silent as he stared at Yuffie, his face expressionless. “Brain swelling slowly goin’ down. They’re hopin’ she’ll wake in a few days cause she’s young and healthy.”

Rude sat down quietly in the chair. “I’m not used to hearing her shut up.”

Reno snickered slightly because it was all he could do. “Tell me ‘bout it.” Balling up his sandwich wrapper along with the rest of the garbage, he tossed it into the trash before standing up and throwing on his suit jacket. Looking briefly at his watch, he gave Rude a nod of thanks. “I’ll be back at five tonight.”

“That gonna be enough time for you, partner?”

Reno shrugged as he picked up the coffee and took a long sip. “It’ll be fine. Wouldn’t want Lockhart to ask you any questions anyways. Just gotta run a few errands, shower and crash for a few hours.” And then he staggered out of the hospital room before his vigilant partner could ask any more questions. His defenses were down and the last thing he needed at the moment was more questions when all he wanted to do was sleep.

And while he was tempted to drive, he opted for the twenty-five minute walk to her apartment. By the time he got to her front door and took out his copy of her key, he could hear the cat scratching at the door, meowing. As soon as the key twisted and the door swung open, the scruffy black cat dashed away under her bed at the sight of him.

“You want food or not, Puss?” Reno asked irritably. “I don’t like you either.”

Mr. Bounce-a-lot hissed at him from under the bed. Rolling his eyes, he placed a scoop of cat kibble into the bright green food bowl and filled up the yellow water bowl.

“Don’t bitch at me cause ya didn’t get to eat for a day. Yuffie’s at the hospital ‘cause of  _ you,  _ so cut me some fuckin’ slack,” he muttered. “At least I came to feed you.”

As soon as Reno moved away from the food bowl, Mr. Bounce-a-lot began to devour the food and the rattling sound of kibble bouncing around in the bowl was the only thing that filled the silence. He peeled away his dirty clothes that smelled like the hospital and threw them in the brimming basket of laundry before pulling out a pair of boxers from one of the drawers she had reserved for him.

The second the cat finished his meal, he hopped onto the washroom counter and stared at him. Defiantly, Reno gazed back into the cold eyes of the cat with a scowl on his face. “You’re just a stray and she feels sorry for you. Fuck off.” Apparently showering while being watched by a damn cat was unnerving as hell.

By the time he had showered and dried his hair as much as he could, he slipped into her bed naked with his hair still wet and closed his eyes. The bed smelled like her. He felt the cat jump onto the covers and curl up against him and before Reno could tell it to scram, he fell asleep.

* * *

Rude’s eyebrows rose up in interest for the fifth day in a row as Reno entered the hospital room with his hair clinging limply to his head, but ultimately, he seemed to have decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

Nonetheless, Reno scowled as if he could read his mind. “Haven’t had time to buy hair wax yet,” he lied. The truth was, he’d been sleeping at Yuffie’s the last few days because he’d had to feed the ugly cat and by the time he made his way to her apartment, he was too tired to leave. And if he had to be completely honest, leaving the cat at home by himself day in, day out didn’t feel right—Yuffie spoiled the damn stray rotten.

His eyes flickered over to her motionless form for a few moments and noticed with satisfaction that her complexion looked healthier and her lips had returned to her usually rosy colour—now if only she would open her damn eyes. He ran his hand over his hair with a frustrated sigh. “Any news?” He’d been sober for nearly a week and working fourteen-hour shifts everyday since she’d landed herself in the hospital—he needed a goddamn drink.

“Vitals are still fine. Just waiting for her to come out of the coma,” Rude responded, his quiet voice raspy from not being used in a while. “All they can do is monitor closely.”

Reno snorted. “They’ve been sayin’ that for days. Leave it to the damn brat to make everyone fuckin’ worry.”

“Are  _ you  _ worried?” Rude asked, lifting his sunglasses to peer into his eyes.

Reno tried to look offended. “Me?” He forced a snicker. “You been drinkin’ on the job, partner?”

Rude didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t argue either. “Tifa finally called the Commissioner last night. He told her he sent Lady Kisaragi up to Mt. Nibel Reactor to clear the monsters, but she’s not entirely satisfied with the answer.”

“Lemme guess,” Reno muttered, “The brat has a texting problem.” He knew it from personal experience. Unless Yuffie was completely off the grid, she tended to respond to her messages quickly—it was unheard of to not hear from her for hours, let alone days on end.

“Something you might know about?”

Reno shot him a dirty look. “Sounds like you’re hintin’ at something, yo.”

The corner of Rude’s lips quirked up just slightly. “Just something we’ve been observing, partner.”

Scowling darkly, he dropped into the chair and slouched down with his neck bent, face towards the ceiling. “Dunno what the fuck you’re tryin’ to say. You and Lockhart’s gotta stay outta my business.”

Rude uttered a soft snort before standing up to straighten up his tie and tug at the cuff of his sleeve, readjusting it. “The Commissioner told the Chief you were dealing with the lover boy?”

Reno raised his eye to him, the all-knowing tone in Rude’s voice causing his scowl to deepen. “Sure, man. It’s done.”

“See you in the morning,” Rude responded as he gave a nod, and Reno could have sworn he was practically smirking smugly at him. 

By the time the door closed behind Rude, Reno swung his lanky legs onto the bed before turning on the television. His gaze lingered on Yuffie as he leaned over to brush her hair back and even after six days, he couldn’t get used to how still she was. “Told ya not to underestimate those fuckers. But you went and did it anyways, you crazy little shit. Now hurry up and wake up ‘cause my ass is tired of sittin’ in this shitty-ass chair.”

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her finger twitch—he froze.

Was he hallucinating?

Was that her eyelids moving?

“Yuff?” he breathed out. “You in there?”

A small pained moan escaped her lips and forgot how to breathe for a second before he sprung into action, pressing the call button while adjusting the bed so she was sitting up on a slant. Her eyes fluttered open and Reno didn’t think he’d ever been so glad to see her wake up. Except she looked exhausted and confused and Reno had a feeling she was seeing straight through him.

“D’you know where you are?”

Her dark eyes were glazed over, unresponsive. The doctor rushed in a moment later and Reno stepped aside as he listened to the doctor ask her questions and to tell her what had happened the last few days. Even so, Yuffie remained completely motionless until she closed her eyes again.

“What the fuck is wrong with her?”

The doctor pried open Yuffie’s eyelid and studied it briefly before prying open the other gently. “She’s doing okay—”

“How the fuck is that doing okay?” Reno interrupted, glowering at the doctor. If he wasn’t in the Presidential Suite of the hospital and aware that Rufus and Reeve had probably pulled some strings to get the most capable doctor in charge, he would have asked him if he was an idiot.

“That reaction is to be expected after brain trauma. At the very least, it seems like she’s coming out of her coma. She’ll slowly stay up for longer periods of time each day, so we’ll see how she is tomorrow.” The doctor scribbled a few things on his tablet before giving her a look and leaving without another word.

Reno sat down in his seat, his eyes continuing to rest on Yuffie, hoping for any other movements, only to be disappointed. “That’s not how comas work in movies,” he muttered to himself as he pulled out his phone to type out a quick message to both Tseng and Reeve. “At least you’re up. Now if you could only stay awake for more than half a fuckin’ minute....”

* * *

It wasn’t until three days later that Yuffie seemed to realize when she was awake. Reno had just been dozing in the chair next to her—he was now at the hospital almost sixteen hours a day, spending whatever time he had next to her, not wanting to be away when she woke up again. If Rude had been suspicious, he had made no comment about it.

“R-Reno?” She croaked, her voice hoarse and scratchy and it took Reno a moment to realize she was  _ aware _ enough to talk.

His eyes snapped open. “Shit,” he cursed as he scrambled up from his seat to sit on the bed in front of her, making sure not to jostle her. “D’you remember anything?”

She shook her head slightly, wincing in pain before trying to clear her throat. He poured her a cup of water and let her take a few small sips, just enough to wet her mouth. “Hospital. Why?” she asked as she looked around wearily, blinking every few seconds as if it took incredible effort for her to keep her heavy lids open.

The amount of  _ relief _ he felt from seeing her eyes open and not lifelessly staring through him was indescribable. It was a sobering reminder to Reno at that moment that things could have gone downhill at any time and that she was still alive. “You were attacked on the way home. You’ve been in the hospital for almost two weeks.”

Her eyes opened wide in surprise, but even then, the look of fatigue kicked in soon after as she tried to bite back a yawn. “‘m tired,” she mumbled sleepily, almost incoherently as her eyelids fluttered closed again.

“Sleep. I’ll yell at you later for being a fuckin’ idiot,” he muttered, although the threat in his voice was non-existant. He was just glad she was finally awake.

Her lips cracked into a brief smile and he felt his heart stutter in relief. “Stay?” she asked with a whisper.

“Yeah. I’m on the clock, yo,” he responded with his usual nonchalance. Just as he was about to settle back down into his position on the couch, she opened her eyes slightly into small slits.

“Join me? ‘m scared…” she trailed off, her voice quiet, meek.

The doctors had told him that it was a possibility that she would wake up fearful and at the time, he had scoffed because Yuffie Kisaragi stuck her tongue out at the face of danger. She’d saved the world more times than he could count, for fuck’s sake. But watching her now, his chest twisted at the unusual look of vulnerability on her face. He’d never seen that helpless expression on the ordinarily overly proud woman before—he felt a growing anger at the people who had put her in such a position—they were lucky they were already dead.

The bed  _ did _ look inviting. It was nearly four in the morning and he was exhausted.

“You’re lucky you’re in the Presidential Suite with a large bed,” Reno muttered as he stood up, making sure to have his gun and nightstick in close proximity before taking off his shoes and sliding into the bed next to her, fully dressed. 

As soon as his body came in contact with the mattress, she snuggled up against him and he had to make sure that her movements weren't causing her to hurt herself. The doctor  _ had  _ said that everything except her head had practically healed fully—the use of materia had helped.

"Thanks," she slurred with a brighter, happier tone, sounding much more like her normal self.

"Now go the fuck to sleep."

"'Kay," she mumbled with a small yawn and Reno resisted the urge to kiss her on the top of her head—unshowered, oily, hospital-smelling hair was fucking disgusting.

Reno didn't even realize he had fallen asleep until the sound of Rude clearing his throat brought him back to consciousness. His arm was draped over Yuffie's waist, the warmth of the blanket wrapping around them. He lifted his bloodshot eyes to meet Rude's amused gaze briefly before closing them again.

"Not one fuckin’ word, partner. I’m going back to bed, so make yourself comfortable," he grunted out.

Rude gave a small cough to hide a laugh.

* * *

Yuffie stifled a yawn as she slowly shoveled another spoonful of bland oatmeal in her mouth, chewing slowly before swallowing with a slight wince.

Reno smirked at the unimpressed look on her face as he threw another crunchy fry in his mouth, ignoring the glare sent his way as he readjusted his position on the chair. His gaze landed on the bouquet of rosy flowers sitting on the bedside table and without even fully thinking about it, his brain told him that they were peonies and that they stood for healing.

“Tifa told me she gave Reeve and Rude an ass kicking,” Yuffie said with a loud cackle as she caught sight of where he was looking and Reno couldn’t help but snicker out in response as he looked away from the peonies. “Also, what the hell’s wrong with your pathetic excuse for a hairstyle?”

He touched the top of his head defensively with a scowl. “I’ve been goin’ over to your place and feedin’ the damn cat, so I’ve been livin’ without my hair wax.” And then reaching over, he flicked her forehead gently, being careful to not use too much force on her already bruised brain. “And I wouldn’t talk, princess. You look like shit.”

“According to you, I always look like shit,” she huffed out with a mock annoyed breath. But then her eyes softened as their gazes met. “Thanks for keeping Mr. Bounce-a-lot alive. D'you mind feeding him for a few more weeks?”

Reno raised his eyebrow in question.

“Doc said I can probably be discharged after a couple more days of monitoring. He recommended that I have someone watch me for a week or two at home just to make sure things are okay even if they’re expecting a full recovery,” she explained with a small frown on her face. For someone who was so independent, it must have killed her to realize she needed to rely on someone else for the next little while. “Teef said she could watch me if I moved to the bar for the stay.”

Reno took a deep breath and felt his fingers tap against his thigh almost nervously before he threaded his fingers together and folded his hands on his lap. “Lockhart’s got a bar to run and two kids to take care of,” he muttered, his tone low. “Told the boss I was gonna be takin’ a couple of weeks off after pulling almost three week’s worth of overtime shifts.”

Yuffie blinked in confusion as if trying to make sense of it all before comprehension set in. “Uh, wha?” she mumbled unintelligently.

He shook his head and rolled his eyes skyward in frustration that he had to spell it out for her. “I’ll stay with you instead with that sorry excuse of a cat you own,” he drawled, trying not to be affected by the slow cheeky grin on her lips that was threatening to burst into a laugh. Her eyes were glittering with mirth and his chest tightened at the sight that he hadn’t seen in weeks. After a slight moment of hesitation, he leaned forward as his hand reached into the inner pocket of his jacket to pull out a ring box—he felt relieved that he was finally getting rid of it.

“R-Reno?” Yuffie squeaked as her mouth hung open, wide eyes flickering between him and the box in his hand in utter bewilderment.

He fidgeted with the box for a bit before he locked eyes with her, his blazing green eyes intensely.

“It’s a promise ring.” The lid popped open to reveal a simple diamond ring.

Her eyes studied the ring briefly before her gaze focused on Reno as she bit her lips shyly while smiling. “I didn’t realize you were—”

“I got you one so you’d promise to stop being such a fuckin’ idiot,” he cut her off, his mouth curling into his usual lazy smirk.

“...such an asshole,” she finished, glowering at him, her cheeks flushed. Nonetheless, she snatched the ring box from his hand and slipped the ring onto her finger before tossing the box back to him. “Even though you’ll never in a million years say it, I know you were worried and missed the awesomely Great Ninja Yuffie!" She winked at him with her lopsided grin and mischievous eyes and his heart lurched at her expression. “It’s a ‘yes’, by the way, to your question. But you realize people are totally gonna question this, right? Reno of the Turkeys took advantage of the  _ beautifully amazing _ Princess of Wutai while she was high on pain meds," she announced animatedly with a snicker.

He couldn’t look away from the ring gleaming brightly on her finger. “You realize I don’t give a shit, right? And I haven’t asked you jack shit.”

A loud laughter bubbled up from Yuffie’s throat. “Gawd, you are  _ so _ romantic.”

The corner of his lips quirked up at the joyful sound of her giggles as he slouched back comfortably against his chair. “And you’re such a goddamn brat.”

“But you love me anyways,” she hummed jovially in a sing-song tone as she studied the ring, a bright smile on her face. "By the way, this is  _ totes  _ an engagement ring. Betcha you only called it a promise ring so you could be a jerk about me being a so-called idiot when you knew it wasn't even my fault in the first place for being nearly  _ assassinated…" _

He scoffed and rolled his eyes—he realized with mild amusement that he had somehow  _ missed _ her endless prattles.

"Wouldya just shut the fuck up?"

She could never find out—he'd never live it down otherwise.

Her eyes glowed impishly as she glanced at him briefly before sticking her tongue out. "Nah. You love hearing me talk. You're just too proud to admit it."

"Bitch."

"Jackass."

"Little shit."

"Jerkface."

"...Lady Kisaragi."

"Oh, you did _ not _ just call me that."

"Single White Rose of Wutai?"

"Ughhh. I hate you. Sounds  _ so much worse _ when  _ you _ say it."

"Worse than 'bitch'? You gotta get your priorities straight, yo."

"Shut  _ up,  _ Turkey.”

**Author's Note:**

> This started because of a picture of a cookie I saw on my Instagram feed that said: "Promise rings are cute. Gonna get myself one and promise to stop being an IDIOT." So naturally, my brain went "omg I can write a Reffie fic on this" and here we are. I find inspiration in the randomest place <3 What was supposed to be a fluff fic became a hurt/comfort with fluff at the end… I guess it’s also good for Whumptober XD
> 
> Also...I have no medical background. So...apologies in advance.
> 
> As usual, comments/kudos/suggestions are very much appreciated!


End file.
